There are tons of articles out there telling you why you should quit your job.

Believe me, I’ve read them all.

Articles on why you shouldn’t waste your energy on 9-5 corporate while life flies by, usually with a smiling, long-haired girl radiating happiness as the portrait picture.

Who wouldn’t want to feel like she looks like she’s feeling?

I had been working with marketing for five years and I longed for a break. I was 27 and decided I needed to change up my life before I turned 28 and became one step closer to the big 3-0. I loved my job: I was surrounded by great co-workers who also happened to be my best friends, I got to travel occasionally and be a part of a vibrant environment.

But in the end it doesn’t matter how great our job is if still we carry that sense of longing inside—restlessness.

I wasn’t happy with only travelling on my own terms during my five weeks of vacation (which I realize is quite a lot compared to what’s normal in other countries).

I had to do it.

So I left my resignation and booked a one-way ticket to Bali.

I became a yoga teacher. I loved it. Every second.

And after one month of training, I continued to travel for two more months before I returned home. People I met along my travels had asked me if it was hard to find a new job in Norway. I told them that almost everyone could get a suitable job within no time, and I really believed it. Now, five months have passed since I came home with thoughts that companies would throw themselves at me.

I know now that they don’t.

Being a freelancer for the first time in my life, I’ve learned some valuable lessons:

1. It’s not easy to get a job in no time if you want an interesting and challenging job within your field of expertise, so make sure there’s a buffer of money for when you get home.

2. Freelancing may offer freedom, but it’s also a paradox: it comes with the uncertainty that you don’t have food on the table the following month and so you act accordingly, limiting your freedom.

3. I miss having co-workers big time! I find myself hanging out with my friends from my last job, but it just reminds me of what I left behind (and only the good stuff) and can sometimes makes me even more sad than just being by myself. I needed to learn to limit the exposure to the past.

4. Working from home, there’s a fine line between doing research and procrastination. Structure is the number one important thing that will get your career going. Do stuff! Ask yourself one question: is this contributing to my paycheck?

5. Value your time! First month I applied to every job I could and probably wasted a lot of energy on jobs I either new I didn’t want or that I wasn’t qualified for. I’ve now learned to only spend energy on what seems fruitful and what I see possibilities to learn or grow from.

6. It takes time. Month by month my income has increased, and slowly more and more contacts start to show up.

7. Prepare as much as possible before quitting. Make a home page, think about your image and have a plan for what you want to offer. Make contacts before you leave. Use the benefits from where you work before you quit (dentist, doctor, physiotherapy), you won’t have much money for that stuff during your start-up.

So what now? I’m not too sure.

I thought being a freelancer was my dream, but it turns out I actually want to be challenged professionally and I want to get a loan to buy an apartment, and all these things that didn’t matter before actually turn out to be important for me after all.

What I do know is that even though I do miss my ex-co-workers big time, I don’t regret what I’ve done. I’ve become a teacher, I’ve experienced so much, and also trying to make it as a freelancer has been rewarding and offered new lessons. Everything that has happened have helped me realize what I really want and with that comes new motivation.

It will also lead me down a new path even if I choose to go back to working 9-5, and sometimes you need that kick in the butt to get your life moving in different directions. I was about to get stuck. And even though I was stuck somewhere I liked, the feeling of being stuck will eventually tear you down and take away your joy and motivation.

Picture the pyramid of needs.

 

At the bottom there’s food, a place to rest, clothes. Then follows the need for security, both economical and social. Third, there’s love. Fourth the need to be unique, find yourself and your passions.

The fifth level is self-realization, pursuing your passions. At the very top we find the question of the meaning of life.

I found myself at 5th stage of this pyramid, self-realization, but being here but still running out of money brought me down to the bottom of the pyramid.

I need to cover my basic needs: food, accommodation and safe surroundings.

This in itself changes the motivation and brings new goals to the equation.

All I know is that experience is growth, and I needed to grow. Now I find myself in a area with huge potential for growth, where lots of new opportunities arise. I’m not saying that it’s not scary, because is probably the most scary feeling ever being in such an uncertain situation.

However, I know this is what I wanted, and I know this feeling is what drives me at this moment.

It’s also what will make me step up the game and take my life in a new direction.

 

 

 

Author: Iselin Naess

Editor: Renée Picard

Image: via the author/elephant archives